You can almost hear a million artists screaming. They would give their left lungs to have one of their paintings exhibited at London's oh-so-exclusive Saatchi Gallery.

Yet, 7-year-old Leilah Poulain has her painting of a penguin hanging in the gallery -- because of a mistake, The Sun of London reports.

Poulain's mother, Rebekah, just wanted to download the penguin picture to a private online folder at home. Instead, she accidentally uploaded it to a public file and automatically entered Leilah in a national art competition.

Two years later, Poulain was notified that she was one the winners. Her penguin painting is now hanging alongside works of famous artists such as Damien Hirst.

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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 5)

There is even a 4 year old child artist now. In most ways, 4-year-old Marla Olmstead is just like any other child her age. She goes to pre-school, plays with dolls, and loves to draw and paint.

But Marla paints unlike any other kid in the world. She's signed her name to dozens of works deemed breathtaking by fans of abstract art. She’s garnered international attention, and her paintings are selling as fast as she can finish them -- for as much as $24,000.

And that’s where the mystery comes in: How is it possible that a girl so young and so small can create works of art that many say are so sophisticated and so complex?

Marla's canvases, which range up to 5 feet tall, are filled with color, and expressive brush strokes. They are compositions of apparent planning and vision.

Her parents say Marla has completed more than 50 such paintings in the last two years, most of them bigger than she.

"She just wanted to paint. She asked me that question. She said, 'Can I paint, dad, can I paint,'" recalls Marla's father, Mark, an amateur painter himself. "And I just said, 'OK.' You know, good diversionary tactic so I could try to paint."

Mark says this conversation took place before Marla's second birthday.

If you visit the Olmstead home in Binghamton, N.Y., you'll find a typical preschooler. Marla loves making mischief, and playing with her baby brother, Zane.

But give Marla a paintbrush and a canvas, and her parents say she’s all business. Her father says that she paints about three times a week, up to three hours at a time and usually finishes a piece every few sittings.

Rose asks Mark to describe one of Marla's paintings.

"I see the whole process, which is interesting. This one was a relatively quick painting," says Mark about one painting.

"She literally, she had a gallon of white paint. And she does like three or four steps. Three or four sittings. But one this one, she took the paint literally with a brush, a relatively big brush, and just walked around it."

Mark then points to another painting titled "Spots." "This was recent," he says. "And it's just a wild process because she just goes to town with the paint."

Marla’s rise to fame began when she was 3-and-a-half years old. A family friend hung her paintings in a local coffee shop, and a customer asked to buy one. Not wanting to part with it, Marla's mother, Laura, set what she thought was a high asking price: $250. The painting sold immediately.

Michelangelo,Rembrant are artists.All this other stuff is crap.paintings that look like nothing but a bunch of worms crawling on canvas is not art.The world is full of jerks and it a shame most of them are critics.they wouldn't reconize talent if it jumped up and bit them in the face.

Interesting about that painting. When my son was 6 and drew something like that, the school pyschologist called and said there is something wrong with him because it is too simple a drawing for his age. Seems that art, as well as beauty, is in the eye of the beholder

the best paintings come from a innocent kind heart.. They see things most people overlook. But please remember not to exploit and plunder when it comes to these young artists. Everytime a good thing is presented to the world, greed and money values steps in to ruin the mood.

ART? This belongs on a refridgerator door. The so called experts are simply pimpimg trash to the rich and ignorant. What a waste of money better spent on food for the poor. Not any master piece simply childish crap

Wow somebody needs to chill out. It's a kids painting and they thought it was good. You don't need to go around bashing this kids art and the people who like it just because you have a problem with it. Maybe you should pull your panties out of that knot.

Hank, while I agree with you to a point, I think calling this picture "childish crap" and "trash" is just plain mean! Of course it's childish, she's 7 years old!! Lighten up dude. However, I do agree that this is just a picture by a 7 year old, I have four kids and I've had much "art" through the years. It's beautiful to us as parents, and to people who may know the child but I'm sorry, it doesn't belong in one of the biggest art museums in the world! I think EVERYBODY has dumbed down their whole ideas of what constitutes true talent, no matter what the medium. I mean come on, in this country, we've made celebrities out of the cast of "Jersey Shore", as if it takes talent to do what they do on that show! Talent, Art, Celebrity...none of it means much anymore.

I am wondering, myself, what was so special about this painting? I would not have given it a second glance. Perhaps, the competition was mostly entered by adults and the judges thought it had a "child-like quality" to it.

Well Hank, I thik a LOT of stuff in these galleries is "trash". especially those impressionists. Oh, and how about those wonderful pieces of art made out of trash....which look just like what they are made from! This, at least, I recognized as a penguin!!

I have to agree with the people who are saying this painting is nothing more then a kid's painting and not worthy of being in an art gallery aside real works of art. My niece and nephew gave me lots of pictures through the years that were at least as good as hers. I don't mind someone being recognized for their talent but come on, this is just silly.

@HANK: Your hissy fit and nerd rage both amuses me and I feel speaks volumes about your personality. I could draw out every point that amuses me, but I'll just say this: Hank, why are you worried about how others spend their money? Let's say someone buys this painting. They know it's by a 7 year old. So it then inspired them to donate to a charity for orphans, or sick children or something else involving children. Or even if it doesn't, maybe the gallery is donating any fees they collect from a percentage of sales and making donations after expenses. I have no idea, but you know Hank, you should calm down here instead of having some hissy fit.

I completely agree with you. It's a kids drawing that only a parent can be proud of. To call this art is really quite ridiculous, no expert in art but I've seen some beautiful pieces at Metropolitan Museum of Art. I too have a 7 year old daughter and know that eventhough some of her artwork is special to me and her, it really is just a kid's drawing.

Do you give your money to the poor so they can buy food? I doubt very much that you do. And, who are you to decide what is art and what is crap? The Saatchi Galery has decided that for you, the childs painting is hanging in their gallery! Where is yours?

Everyone of the people who have agreed with you are adults. Their lives are so complicated that they have become overly analytical and appear to have forgotten the beauty of simple things. Therefore, they are judging the painting based on the age of a child. I have seen million dollar art in the famous museums that don't nearly compare with this painting. Try to remember the simple things in life often carry an important message. This painting does just that.

TheTalkies

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